


(Another) Duty of Care

by TARDISTraveller42



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-01 09:02:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18332879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TARDISTraveller42/pseuds/TARDISTraveller42
Summary: Bill gets a small burn during a trip out, and the Doctor overreacts as usual. Perhaps he is not quite as fine as he says he is, though; and perhaps they both need some help and assurance.





	(Another) Duty of Care

(Another) Duty of Care

The Doctor was usually the talkative sort. In fact, Bill couldn’t think of a time today when he’d actually been quiet. 

Well, that wasn’t true. Because he was being quiet right now. Ever since they’d been spotted; started running for their lives. 

They got away, though. Like always, they’d gotten away. Bill had gotten a little burn on her shoulder in the crossfire, but she’d be fine. Rest and maybe a day off of work and she’d be back to running and chasing aliens. No harm done.

Only the Doctor still wasn’t talking. Not about where they’d been, or who’d shot at them, or the purple daisies they’d passed on the way back to the TARDIS.

And it was starting to worry Bill.

“Doctor?” She asked, as he wiped his face rather harshly in his hand, moving levers on the console like they were little Daleks he wanted to teach a lesson.

He met her eyes for half a second before marching along, seeming to favor his left leg as he did so, finally making his way back to her the long way round.

“How’s your shoulder?” he asked abruptly.

Bill shrugged, then hissed in pain. Yep, definitely skipping work tomorrow.

“I’ll live,” she joked.

But the Doctor didn’t smile.

“Follow me.”

He started off down one of the corridors before Bill could realize what he’d said. She trailed after him quickly, not wanting to get lost in this enormous ship. God knows how long it would take to get back.

“Medbay is to the left; I’ll be with you in a moment.”

Bill paused, watching him dart off.

“I’m fine!”

He kept walking.

Bill entered the medbay and found it painfully bright. Everything was white and shiny, which she supposed was meant to look clean and sterile. Right now it just made her eyes hurt.

Once she was sat on the edge of the only bed in the room, she dared to unbutton her jacket and slip it off. The Doctor gone, she let herself cringe as her shoulder ached. At least she had a tank top on today; no more layers to peel off.

It looked alright, from what she could see from her angle. Not nearly as bad as it could have been. To be honest, if they had been running just a bit slower, or if the firing had been just a hair closer….

She shivered, and cut off her thoughts. Needn’t bother consider it. She was fine. The Doctor was fine. Nardole would be furious if he found out, but he was fine, too. They were all alright.

The door opened, and in came the Doctor. He carried a real medical bag, and wore a stethoscope around his neck. Bill smiled.

“You know you don’t have to do all this. I’m fine! Really!”

His eyebrows were stern, and he silenced her with a solemn glance.

“How would you rank the pain, out of ten?”

Bill sighed, but humored him as he opened his bag.

“A three? It’s really not that…Ouch!”

She threw a glare at his stupid smiley face as he tied a cold compress around her arm.

“Sorry; the burns from that planet can be particularly nasty. This should help avoid scarring.”

Bill massaged her arm.

“Have you been there before, then?”

He tilted his head.

“No, but I’ve had patients from there.”

“Wait, hold on. Are you an actual doctor? Like, a proper one?”

He sat back, closing his medical bag.

“Of course I’m a ‘proper’ doctor.”

“Did you go to medical school?” Bill questioned.

“Yes,” he replied. “Glasgow University. Only I graduated in the wrong year...nevermind. Yes. Now, lie back. I want you to get an hour’s rest before standing, and a day’s rest before running.”

Bill lifted herself up onto the bed and lie back, but then sat up halfway when she noticed him leaving.

“Wait, Doctor?” She shifted her weight so she wasn’t leaning on her bad arm. “Why are you doing all of this?”

“I told you, Bill. I’m a doctor. It’s my job to take care of people.”

“Okay, yeah, but I was barely hurt. I’ve had worse burns working chips.”

He stood silently for a minute, then bit his bottom lip and took his stethoscope off.

“I have a duty of care,” he said gently. “I have a job to take care of whoever is travelling with me. And when they get hurt, it’s my job to fix it.”

Bill stared at him. 

“What about when you get hurt?” She asked suddenly.

“Me?”

“Yeah. I’m assuming you get hurt sometimes, don’t you? Or do you have, like, magical healing abilities or something?”

He chuckled at that.

“I do have magical healing abilities. But sometimes I do need help, yes. I usually find the closest Timelord-friendly hospital.”

Bill’s lips curled into a frown. But the Doctor merely stood up.

“Get some rest, Bill,” he said.

“Does Nardole have a duty of care for you?” she asked, making him turn back around.

“He likes to think he does,” the Doctor joked, turning away again. As he turned to the door again, he winced and lifted his left foot gently off the floor.

“You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

The Doctor rolled his eyes, forcing a small smile.

“No; course not. Get some rest. Your arm needs to heal.”

He reached for the door again, grimacing as his leg moved. Slowly, he turned back around.

“Come here,” Bill said, gesturing him toward her. “Let me see.”

“I can take care of it,” the Doctor grumbled.

“I know; but let me. You don’t always have to be the hero.”

He walked slowly to her and sat obediently on the bed beside her. Bill, using her good arm, grabbed the medical bag and helped him pull the leg of his trousers up to his knee.

“Ouch,” she murmured, seeing the burn on the Doctor’s leg. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

He shrugged, reaching into the bag. Bill pulled his hand away.

“I got it.”

Bill worked silently, wrapping one of the cool packs around his leg the way that he had done her arm. As she put the medical bag away, she still stayed quiet. The Doctor did, too. Until Bill was back, sitting beside him.

“Well,” the Doctor said. “I should let you rest now.”

“Hold on.”

The Doctor sighed.

“How did you get hurt?” Bill questioned.

“Same way you did, I expect. Now, goodnight…”

“Nope,” Bill said shortly. “You would’ve said. You always tell me when you get a little burn like that. It’s when its more serious you don’t tell me.”

The Doctor folded his hands on his lap and looked to the floor, defeated.

“I saw them firing toward you, so I took the hit instead. It probably would have injured you more, so I thought it best…”

“You sacrificed yourself for me?”

The Doctor chuckled.

“It was hardly a sacrifice…”

“Stop,” Bill said, closing her eyes. 

She sighed. And then she pulled him into a hug.

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“I told you, Bill, I have a duty…”

“Doctor, please.” She pulled back, but left an arm around his shoulder. “Let people care about you. You’re not the only one who should worry about other people.”

“You don’t need to worry about me, Bill. In fact, don’t.”

“Too late,” she said with a smile, then nudged his arm. “I’ll try to leave it up to Nardole, okay? But when it’s just you and me, I’m gonna watch out for you.”

The Doctor went to respond, but Bill’s look stopped him.

“You’re not gonna change my mind. You can sacrifice yourself all you want, but at the end of the day you’d better tell me or Nardole when you’re not alright. Deal?”

The Doctor smiled softly.

“Deal.” He got slowly to his feet, keeping his weight off his left foot. “Now Bill Potts; get some rest. I’ve got a brilliant lecture planned for tomorrow, and I want you ready to take some good notes.”

“Sounds good to me.”

They shared one last smile before he left her to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
